The phased reopening of US business and social life gained traction on Monday with more Americans emerging from coronavirus lockdowns and financial markets boosted by promising early results from the first US vaccine trial in humans.

News of a possible vaccine breakthrough was somewhat overshadowed by President Donald Trump's surprise announcement hours later that he is taking hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 preventive treatment, contrary to medical warnings about such use of the anti-malaria drug. The disclosure came during Trump's White House meeting with restaurant executives.

"All I can tell you is so far I seem to be OK," the president told reporters, saying he has taken a single dose of the drug each day for the past week and a half.

Just 10 days ago the White House confirmed that Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary had tested positive for the coronavirus, 24 hours after Trump's military valet was diagnosed.

Trump initially promoted hydroxychloroquine in April as a potential Covid-19 treatment based on a positive report about its use against the virus. But subsequent studies have found it to be ineffective, and the Food and Drug Administration has warned of the potential for serious side effects associated with hydroxychloroquine and an older, related drug, chloroquine.

VACCINE HOPE

Earlier on Monday came word that a Covid-19 vaccine under development by Massachusetts-based biotech firm Moderna Inc had produced protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers during a safety trial launched in March.

The findings, offering a glimmer of hope that the experimental vaccine may ultimately prove effective, sent Moderna's shares soaring 20% on Monday and helped lift the overall stock market about 3% to a 10-week high.

Until a vaccine or cure can be found, lockdowns on commerce and social gatherings remain the chief weapon for fighting the pandemic, even while ravaging the US economy.

Public health experts caution that easing stay-at-home orders and mandatory business closures is still risky while diagnostic testing remains scant in many places, leaving in doubt how much virus lurks undetected.

Although nearly all 50 states have begun reopening, only 13 had met federal guidelines for safely lifting restrictions as of Sunday, according to a Reuters analysis, raising concerns that infections and deaths could surge anew.

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Coronavirus across the globe

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Coronavirus across the globe

ARROMANCHES-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 06: Adrian Cox, a British Expat and Councilor of Arromaches, raises the flag of the Normandy Veterans Association at dawn to commemorate the 76th Anniversary of the D-Day landings at dawn on Gold Beach on June 06, 2020 in Arromanches-les-Bains, France. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions this is the first time in 75 years that veterans have not been able to attend the Anniversary. (Photo by Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)

CORONAVIRUS: PLUS DE 35.000 MORTS AU BRÉSIL

CORONAVIRUS: PLUS DE 4.000 NOUVEAUX CAS DE CONTAMINATION AU MEXIQUE

The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi

Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 7: On the lawn at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Members of the Brigham and Women's community kneel during a vigil in memory of George Floyd and reflection on racial injustice on June 5, 2020. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL - JUNE 05: A woman waits with hel child in line to receive lunch at Praça da Estação on June 5, 2020 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. About 3000 meals are being distributed every Friday to poor residents, in addition to food, fruit and water. The campaign is carried out by a bank credit company in Belo Horizonte. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JUNE 05: The son of a member of the 'Torcida Urubuzada' (soccer fans) of Flamengo looks on during the donation of food amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the Tijuca neighborhood on June 5, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Around 100 packs of food were distributed by the 'Torcida Urubuzada' of Flamengo to self-employed stadium vendors. According to the Brazilian Health Ministry, Brazil has over 630,000 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and more than 34,600 deaths. (Photo by Bruna Prado/Getty Images)

A demonstrator takes part in a protest outside the US Embassy following the death of a young man while in police custody, after he had been arrested allegedly for failing to comply with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, in Mexico City on June 5, 2020. (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP) (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)

KIEV, KYIV, UKRAINE - 2020/06/05: A protester wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19 during the demonstration.
The LGBT and human rights activists held a rally demanding the resignation of Ukrainian Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov after several criminal cases involving the participation of policemen in Ukraine, according to media. In 2019, human rights organisations in Ukraine recorded 358 crimes and incidents based on homophobia and transphobia, according to protesters. (Photo by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

BADUNG, BALI, INDONESIA - 2020/06/05: An elevator with signs of social distancing as a precaution at the shopping centre.
Kuta Beachwalk Shopping Centre is applying health protocols to minimise the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus as they adapt to a "new normal" phase. (Photo by Dicky Bisinglasi/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Passengers wearing protective face masks travel by boat to Petite-Terre on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte on June 5, 2020, as measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) are maintained on Mayotte over concerns about the continued spread of the virus there and a fragile health system. (Photo by Ali AL-DAHER / AFP) (Photo by ALI AL-DAHER/AFP via Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL â JUNE 4 : Victims of Covid19 are buried in the cemetery of Inhauma, north of the city, on June 4, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro.Rio de Janeiro records more than 300 deaths by Covid-19 for the second day in a row; cases exceed 60 thousand. (Photo by Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A Buddhist devotee holds a pot of water while offering prayers at the Kelaniya temple during the Poson Poya (full moon) religious festival marking the arrival of Buddhism in the island, on the outskirts of Colombo on June 5, 2020. - Sri Lanka on June 5 marked a key Buddhist festival with a nation-wide 24-hour curfew as devotees were urged to remain indoors to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

VAN, TURKEY - JUNE 04: Full moon rises over Suleyman Han Mosque on the summit of Van Castle on June 04, 2020, in Van province, Turkey. People allowed to visit historical places with the "new normal" process as authorities took a set of new decisions to ease restrictions related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) whilst the country made advances in its fight against the pandemic. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A mosque official in protective gear tasked to take the temperature readings of arriving worshippers, waits at the gate of the Cut Meutia Mosque during a Friday prayer in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, June 5, 2020. Muslims in Indonesia's capital held their first communal Friday prayers as mosques closed by the coronavirus outbreak for nine weeks reopened at half capacity. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A devotee wearing a protective mask bearing the face of Jesus Christ waits outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, popularly known as Quiapo church, as it slowly reopens its doors in downtown Manila, Philippines on Friday, June 5, 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed relief that "Filipinos are really law-abiding" and that the Philippines was not going through riots like America which would make coronavirus quarantine enforcement formidable. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A woman holds her daughter gather outside of the Mugda Medical College and Hospital to get tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 5, 2020. (Photo by Rehman Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Austrian soldiers patrol at the Austrian-Slovenian border at the checkpoint near Spielfeld, Austria, on June 5, 2020. - Austria scrapped entry checks at its land borders introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic, except those at the frontier with Italy. Slovenia reciprocated the reopening from Friday, June 5, 2020 and lets in people travelling from Austria without checks. (Photo by ERWIN SCHERIAU / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT (Photo by ERWIN SCHERIAU/APA/AFP via Getty Images)

Children run down a street past an informational mural warning people about the dangers of the new coronavirus, in the Kibera slum, or informal settlement, of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, June 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Sandro Manzato, from the Veneto region, hugs his daughter Yearline, 3, as she arrives with her mum Rubiela Perea, right, from Bogota, Colombia, at Rome's Fiumicino airport, Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Rome’s Fiumicino airport sprang back to life on Wednesday as Italy opened regional and international borders in the final phase of easing its long coronavirus lockdown, allowing families and loved ones separated by the global pandemic to finally reunite. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A visitor walks at Odaiba at sunset Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in Tokyo. A coronavirus state of emergency has been lifted, ending the restrictions nationwide as businesses began to reopen.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

An Iranian man walks in front of a pstry shop in the capital Tehran on June 3, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. - The spread of novel coronavirus has accelerated again this month in Iran which today officially confirmed over 3,000 new cases for a third consecutive day. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/afp/AFP via Getty Images)

Coronavirus Outbreak: 25 cases of COVID-19 found amongst players, staff of Ukrainian football team Karpaty Lviv

People hold a minute of silence for the victims of COVID-19 at Sol square in downtown Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Spain's Health Ministry says it recorded no deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday for a second day in a row. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

University students of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), some wearing protective facemasks, pass their exams at the Art and History Museum in order to respect the social distancing rule, in Brussels, on June 2, 2020 as Belgium eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus). (Photo by BENOIT DOPPAGNE / BELGA / AFP) / Belgium OUT (Photo by BENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Italian Air Force acrobatic unit Frecce Tricolori (Tricolored Arrows) perform over the Altare della Patria - King Vittorio Emanuele II monument and Trajan's column in Rome on June 2, 2020 as part of Republic Day ceremonies, as the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP) (Photo by VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE - JUNE 02: (EDITORS NOTE: Image is a digital composite) In this composite image, commuters ride the train on April 16, 2020 (Top- Image Number 1210095133) and on June 2, 2020 (Bottom) before and after the government implemented a social distancing stickers and markers on board the public train. The authority decided to remove all safe distancing stickers and markers from trains and buses as they deemed it is too challenging for commuters to keep their social distance. Today, Singapore embarks on phase one of a three phase approach against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as it begins to ease the partial lockdown measures by allowing the safe re-opening of economic activities which do not pose high risk of transmission. This include the resumption of selected health services, re-opening of schools with school children attending schools on rotational basis, manufacturing and production facilities, construction sites that adhere to safety measures, finance and information services that do not require interactions and places of worship, amongst others. Retail outlets, social and entertainment activities will remain closed and dining in at food and beverage outlets will still be disallowed. The government will further ease restriction by the middle of June if the infection rate within the community remains low over the next two weeks.(Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)

Illustration picture shows kids and their schoolbags in the hall outside their classroom, in a kindergarden school in Etterbeek, Brussels, Tuesday 02 June 2020. Schools for children under six years old are reopening today for everyone. Belgium is in its twelfth week of confinement in the ongoing corona virus crisis and the third week of the phase 2 of the deconfinement. BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE (Photo by THIERRY ROGE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Customers seated in small glasshouses enjoy lunch at the Mediamatic restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, June 1, 2020. The government took a major step to relax the coronavirus lockdown, with bars, restaurants, cinemas and museums reopening under strict conditions, abiding by government guidelines and respecting social distancing to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

A Hindu devotee offers prayers in the River Ganges, during the Ganga Dussehra festival, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, June 1, 2020. Hundreds of Hindu devotees made holy dips here Monday even though congregations at religious venues continue to remain barred during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A man wearing full PPE walks through Knightsbridge, London following the introduction of measures to bring England out of lockdown. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)

Parents drop off pupils at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures in England. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)

Nuns and faithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, May 31, 2020. Pope Francis has cheerfully greeted people in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, as he resumed his practice of speaking to the faithful there for the first time since lockdown began in Italy and at the Vatican in early March. Instead of the tens of thousands of people who might have turned out on a similarly brilliantly sunny day like this Sunday, in pre-pandemic times, perhaps a few hundred came to the square, standing well apart from others or in small family groups. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A TV cameraman wears a face mask seen between cardboards with photos of Moenchengladbach fans displayed on the stands prior the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Union Berlin in Moenchengladbach, Germany, Sunday, May 31, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool)

Cardboards with photos of Moenchengladbach fans displayed on the stands during warm up prior the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Union Berlin in Moenchengladbach, Germany, Sunday, May 31, 2020. A banner reads: "For Borussia. Against ghost games!". The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool)

Christians wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus attend Sunday Mass at Cathedral Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, May 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Christians wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Worshippers wearing face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 prays at al-Mirabi Mosque in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 31, 2020. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said mosques will open to the public for prayers from May 31 until June 20, except in Mecca, with precautionary measures and instructions. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim men pray next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's old city, Sunday, May 31, 2020.The Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, reopened early Sunday, following weeks of closure aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Buddhists pray during the Buddha's birthday ceremony at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 30, 2020. This year a ceremony to celebrate the birth anniversary was put off from April 30 to May 30 due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Kashmiri Hindu perform rituals during the annual festival at Kheer Bhawani temple amid the Coronavirus pandemic in Jammu, India, Saturday, May 30, 2020. The festival was marked in a low key manner due to the lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Health workers collect a nasal swab sample from a Buddhist monk to test for the coronavirus at the Wat Pho temple in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, May 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Sarayuth Jojaiharn))

A Buddhist believer holds a notice about precautions against the new coronavirus during the Buddha's birthday ceremony at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 30, 2020. This year a ceremony to celebrate the birth anniversary was put off from April 30 to May 30 due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A public safety worker sprays a disinfectant solution in the streets of the El Rosario neighborhood, which had seen a recent cluster of COVID-19 cases, in Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico, Friday, May 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

John Price and Bijan Black have lunch with their son Parker Price, 2, all of Seat Pleasant, Md., at the Wharf area in Washington, Friday, May 29, 2020. This was their first time venturing out since the coronavirus pandemic started. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Women stand at a distance as they wait in line for a plate of food at a soup kitchen in the 1.11.14 neighborhood during a government-ordered lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Soccer players play front of empty stands during the German Bundesliga soccer match between SC Freiburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Freiburg, Germany, Friday, 29 May, 2020. Because of the coronavirus outbreak all soccer matches go the German Bundesliga without spectators. (Ronald Wittek/Pool via AP)

Fans attend the drive-in concert of the Hungarian rock band Tankcsapda at the Debrecen International Airport in Debrecen, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2020, when concert halls are still closed in Hungary due to the pandemic of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. (Zsolt Czegledi/MTI via AP)

People, wearing face masks and observing social distancing guidelines to protect against coronavirus, attend Friday prayers, outside Fatih mosque, in Istanbul, Friday, May 29, 2020. Worshippers in Turkey have held their first communal Friday prayers in 74 days after the government re-opened some mosques as part of its plans to relax measures in place to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Prayers were held in the courtyards of a select number of mosques on Friday, to minimize the risk of infection. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

ANTALYA, TURKEY - MAY 28: An aerial view of sunbeds placed to comply the rules of social distance near Konyaalti Coastline within the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic measures in Antalya, Turkey on May 28, 2020. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MAY 29, 2020: A woman enters Slavyansky Bulvar Station of the Moscow Metro. The Moscow authorities have extended the self-isolation regime in Moscow through June 14 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Vladimir Gerdo/TASS (Photo by Vladimir Gerdo\TASS via Getty Images)

A member of Myanmar's parliament sits by himself while abiding by social distancing rules with a plastic divider at a table, in place to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw parliament building in Naypyidaw on May 29, 2020. (Photo by Thet Aung / AFP) (Photo by THET AUNG/AFP via Getty Images)

TOKYO, JAPAN - MAY 29: Aircrafts from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force's acrobatic flight team, known as Blue Impulse, fly over central Tokyo area on May 29, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan's Air Self-Defense Force's Blue Impulse aerobatics corps flew over Tokyo to show respect and gratitude towards medical workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 28: Parisian Healthcare workers gather in front of the Robert Debre hospital to call for better working conditions and an increase of manpower as French government launched general talks amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Paris, France on May 28, 2020. (Photo by Julien Benjamin Guillaume Mattia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A Nepalese Health personnel in protective gear check the body temperature of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agni Prasad Sapkota using thermal gun during the announcement of the new government's budget for the fiscal year 2020/2021 at Federal Parliament, Kathmandu, Nepal on Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Photo by Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MAY 28, 2020: A man wears a respirator in a street. The self-isolation regime is extended in Moscow through June 14 in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS (Photo by Mikhail Tereshchenko\TASS via Getty Images)

Healthcare employees work in the intensive care unit of Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, on May 28, 2020 as France eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus). (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Loren Sweatt (L), is greeted by Representative David Roe before a House Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Hearing: "Examining the Federal Government's Actions to Protect Workers from COVID-19," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 28, 2020. (Photo by Rod Lamkey / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ROD LAMKEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Worshippers wearing protective face masks and gloves offer Eid al-Fitr prayers outside a shrine to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Muslims worldwide celebrate one of their biggest holidays under the long shadow of the coronavirus, with millions confined to their homes and others gripped by economic concerns during what is usually a festive time of shopping and celebration. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Potrait of Disinfectors of the 9th Alpine Regiment, in L'Aquila, Italy, on May 20, 2027, during sanitize in an Church. Disinfectors of the 9th Alpine Regiment sanitize the Cathedral of St. Bernardino from Siena. The 9th Alpine Regiment intervenes in the sanitization of one of the symbol places of worship of the city of L'Aquila. (Photo by Andrea Mancini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Vendors wear face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus at a night market in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Two employees wear face masks, to prevent against the spread of coronavirus, as they prepare the plenary room at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The European Union is to unveil Wednesday a massive coronavirus recovery plan worth hundreds of billions of euros to help countries rebuild their ailing economies, but the bloc remains deeply divided over what conditions should be attached to the funds. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

People ride electric scooters in the Villa Borghese park, in Rome, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Alternative means of transport are being promoted in Italy's major metropolitan areas following public transports' restrictions that have been set for containing the COVID-19 spread. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bosnian muslims, some wearing face masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 infection, attend Eid al-Fitr prayers in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Muslims worldwide are marking a muted religious festival of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan _ a usually joyous three-day celebration that has been significantly toned down due to the new coronavirus outbreak.(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden wears a face mask to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as he and Jill Biden arrive to place a wreath at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veterans Memorial Park, in New Castle. (Image: AP)

An aerial view shows a ward converted to a field hospital at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 26, 2020. With dramatically increased community transmissions of coronavirus , Cape Town has become the center of the outbreak in South Africa and the continent. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

John Bickler visits the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, Monday, May 25, 2020. The annual Memorial Day commemoration was held without the public in attendance due to the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, wearing a face mask amid the new coronavirus pandemic, faces supporters taking pictures with cell phones as he leaves his official residence of Alvorada palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Supporters of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, wearing face masks amid the new coronavirus pandemic, yell out against journalists, calling them "trash" and "coup plotters," after the president's departure from his official residence of Alvorada palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus march past a banner depicting Chinese President Xi Jinping at their living squatter inside the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing during a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, May 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The Frecce Tricolori aerobatic squad of the Italian Air Force flies over Milan's Duomo cathedral, northern Italy, Monday, May 25, 2020 on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Republic on June 2, 1946. This year the acrobatic squad will fly over several Italian cities to bring a message of unity and solidarity during the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A supporter of the late Yugoslav communist president Josip Broz Tito wearing a mask to protect against coronavirus holds an old Yugoslav flag with the communist five-point star in front of memorial complex prior to a wreath laying ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, May 25, 2020. People flocked to Tito's grave to mark the 128th anniversary of his birth. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Shoppers maintain a safe social distance between each other as they wait in line to enter a food section of the Matsuya Ginza department store which partially reopens Monday, May 25, 2020, in Tokyo. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to remove a coronavirus state of emergency from Tokyo and four other remaining prefectures later in the day. Japanese words read as "For entrance only." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Bangladeshi Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in Dhaka, Monday, May 25, 2020. The holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, a usually joyous three-day celebration has been significantly toned down as coronavirus cases soar. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Indian policemen patrol during Eid al-Fitr near the Jama Mosque at the old quarters of New Delhi, India, Monday, May 25, 2020. The holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, a usually joyous three-day celebration has been significantly toned down as coronavirus cases soar. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

BRASILIA, BRAZIL - MAY 24: Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wearing face masks with his face wave and shout slogans during a demonstration in favor of his government amidst the coronavirus pandemic in front of Planalto Palace on May 24, 2020 in Brasilia, Brazil. Brazil has over 352,000 confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus and 22,291 deaths. (Photo by Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

Bosnian muslims, some wearing face masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 infection, attend Eid al-Fitr prayers in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Muslims worldwide are marking a muted religious festival of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan _ a usually joyous three-day celebration that has been significantly toned down due to the new coronavirus outbreak.(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)

A Muslim man wearing a protective mask prepares to pray outside the closed National Mosque while celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the end the holy fasting month of Ramadan, amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, May 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Worshippers wearing protective face masks offer Eid al-Fitr prayers outside a shrine to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Muslims worldwide celebrate one of their biggest holidays under the long shadow of the coronavirus, with millions confined to their homes and others gripped by economic concerns during what is usually a festive time of shopping and celebration. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Augsburg's Eduard Loewen celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Augsburg at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, May 24, 2020. The German Bundesliga becomes the world's first major soccer league to resume after a two-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool)

Nuns and faithful respecting social distancing look at Pope Francis reciting the Regina Coeli noon prayer on a giant screen in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 24, 2020. For the first time in months, well-spaced faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday papal blessing, casting their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful, since the square had been closed due to anti-coronavirus lockdown measures. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Muslims, some wearing face masks and gloves to protect against coronavirus, observe social distancing guidelines as they attend Eid al-Fitr prayers in Grozny, Russia, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Muslims worldwide are marking a muted religious festival of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, a usually joyous three-day celebration that has been significantly toned down due to the new coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

MANAUS, BRAZIL - MAY 23: Melida Marquez, a 23 years old venezuelan woman holds a sign asking for job and help with her daughter Genesis, 6, at downtown Manaus on May 23 2020 in Manaus, Brazil. Melida arrived in Manaus a year ago, is pregnant of her fourth kid and has no protective masks. She uses the money got from pedestrians to buy food for her family. Brazil has now 330.890 people infected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) according to Health Ministry and became the the second country in the world with more cases. (Photo by Andre Coelho/Getty Images)

French bishop Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard wearing a protective face mask, prepares to lead the first mass in the Lyon Saint-Jean cathedral since the beginning of the lock down due to Covid 19 pandemic, on May 23, 2020. - France went into lockdown on March 17, to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP) (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

A man stands outside his house, flanked by white cloths displayed to demand humanitarian aid during the home quarantine against the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, at Concepcion neighborhood in San Salvador on May 23, 2020. - El Salvador's Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) revalidated on the eve the state of emergency decree -in force since last March- to face the COVID-19 pandemic, after intervening in a legal battle between the Legislative Assembly and the government of President Nayik Bukele. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP) (Photo by YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

TURIN, ITALY - MAY 23: A man wearing a protective face mask looks at a clothing store with protective masks on mannequins on May 23, 2020 in Turin, Italy. Restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and other shops have reopened, subject to social distancing measures, after more than two months of a nationwide lockdown meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

TURIN, ITALY - MAY 23: A server wearing a protective mask serves a table of people in Piazza Vittorio Veneto on May 23, 2020 in Turin, Italy. On May 23, the Piedmont Region was able to reopen table seating at cafes and bars as long as people practice social distancing. Restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and other shops have reopened, subject to social distancing measures, after more than two months of a nationwide lockdown meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - MAY 23: Volunteers wearing protective face masks and face shields check in with operators of a factory converted to a dormitory on May 23, 2020 in Singapore. This reassurance operation is an initiative by Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition, a non-governmental group in Singapore.(Photo by Ore Huiying/Getty Images)

A patient covers his face in the COVID-19 zone of a hospital in Atizapan, Mexico, on May 22, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)

A health worker checks a patient at the COVID-19 zone of a hospital in Atizapan, Mexico, on May 22, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)

The poster dedicated by Armani to all Italian nurses in Milan on May 22, 2020 in Milan, Italy. Restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and other shops have reopened, subject to social distancing measures, after more than two months of a nationwide lockdown meant to curb the spread of Covid-19 (Photo by Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 22: Two women are seen talking at the town of Griñón during day 69th of the state of alarm decreed as a result of the coronavirus and still phase 0 of the reduction of confinement established by the Government on May 22, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)

BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 22: Chinese women from the country's ethnic minority groups wear protective masks as as they talk before the opening of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People on May 22, 2020 in Beijing, China. China opened its annual parliamentary gathering, known as 'The Two Sessions', at the Great Hall of the People on May 21 after being postponed at the heigh of the coronavirus outbreak in China earlier this year. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of a poster of late communist leader Mao Zedong on a street south of the Great Hall of the People during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on May 22, 2020. - China moved to impose stringent new security laws on restive Hong Kong as its coronavirus-delayed parliamentary session opened on May 22 with a warning from Premier Li Keqiang of the "immense" challenges facing the world's second-largest economy. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

A police officer issues a pro-democracy protester (C) with a fine for breaking government-imposed social distancing rules against the COVID-19 coronavirus, during a march from outside the Western Police Station to the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong on May 22, 2020. - A proposal to enact new Hong Kong security legislation was submitted to China's rubber-stamp on May 22, state media said, a move expected to fan fresh protests in the semi-autonomous financial hub. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP) (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MAY 21, 2020: Dmitry Nikitenko (L), first deputy general director of the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center, and Brock Bierman, Assistant Administrator at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), by a McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft of the United States Air Force at Vnukovo-3 Airport. The plane has delivered medical ventilators for the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center. The USA plans to donate 200 ventilators to Russia amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Valery Sharifulin/TASS (Photo by Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images)

A group of people with face masks on May 21, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain, Since today, protection mask are mandatory in all Spain except in some cases. The government put this measure to protect the citizen against the Covid-19 virus. (Photo by Adria Salido Zarco/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 20: Residents swim, paddle board and kayak in Barton Creek on May 20, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that bars, wine tasting rooms, bowling alleys, skating rinks, bingo halls, aquariums, and equestrian events will be allowed to open on Friday, May 22nd despite a surge in confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the state. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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While some consumers have voiced hesitancy about returning to shopping malls and restaurants just yet, others were clearly ready to do so.

"We need to get the economy going again. People are either out of money or will be very soon," said Martin Bermudez, 48, as he and a companion enjoyed ham-and-cheese omelets at a cafe in Miami.

They were among the first diners back in the eatery for sit-down table service after more than two months of takeout only.

The pandemic has afflicted the United States more than any other country, with more than 1.5 million known infections and nearly 90,000 deaths.

A revision to an influential coronavirus mortality model periodically updated by University of Washington researchers predicted on Monday that 143,357 Americans will die from Covid-19 by early August, about 3,600 fewer than last projected.

The slightly more optimistic forecast reflects greater-than-expected adherence to social distancing and face covering by the public, Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told CNN.

New York state, epicenter of the US pandemic with 27,400 Covid-19 deaths to date, registered further evidence of improvement as its three-day rolling average of hospitalizations and tally of newly reported fatalities both declined.

FROM SPORTS TO ASSEMBLY LINES

In a sign of growing confidence in curbing the contagion, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was looking forward to professional sports teams to begin competing again, though without fans in attendance.

California Governor Gavin Newsom likewise said his state has been in talks with officials of all major sports leagues about a possible fan-free resumption of play. He added that a possible June 1 opening day would depend on development of new safety standards and the prevailing infection rates in California.

In the San Francisco Bay area, health directors in five counties said manufacturing, retail with curbside pickup and warehouse distribution could reopen, catching up with a similar loosening of restrictions elsewhere across the state 10 days earlier.

In the Midwest, the US auto industry slowly returned to life from a two-month lockdown as the Detroit Three carmakers and their suppliers began restarting assembly lines in a sector that employs nearly 1 million people.

Hundreds of workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobile's (FCA) truck plant in Warren, Michigan, began lining up before dawn for the early shift. Signs overhead read: "Let's restart."

The auto industry is widely watched as a test case for whether workers across a range of US industries can safely return to factory floors.

"I'm a little nervous," said Larry Smith, 53, who works on wheel alignment away from the assembly line. "They made all the precautions (and) they've done everything they can to prepare .... I'm trusting in God."